"Simple Song"

It's been nearly five years since the Shins released their last album, 2007's underrated Wincing the Night Away. That's quite a while in internet time, and a lot's changed since James Mercer first sang about "the dirt in your fries", so it's been hard to measure what expectations are for the Shins' forthcoming album, Port of Morrow. It's a relief, then, that the album's first single, "Simple Song", finds that Mercer and his new bandmates are still able to turn out exceptional guitar jangle with big-hearted melodic aims. The complex production that was embraced on Wincing the Night Away is used to arena-sized aim here, with a chunky power-pop riff that couples nicely with Mercer's still-got-it penchant for unspooled lovelorn observations. Despite the drastic changes to the musical landscape over the last half-decade, there's still room for tracks like "Simple Song", as long as bands like the Shins can do them this well.